analyze

verb

an·​a·​lyze ˈa-nə-ˌlīz 

analyzed; analyzing

transitive verb

1

: to study or determine the nature and relationship of the parts of (something) by analysis

2

: to subject to scientific or grammatical analysis

chemically analyze a specimen

analyze a sentence

3

: psychoanalyze

analyzability

ˌa-nə-ˌlī-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

analyzable

ˈa-nə-ˌlī-zə-bəl 

adjective

analyzer

ˈa-nə-ˌlī-zər 

noun

Synonyms

• anatomize
• assay
• break down
• cut
• deconstruct
• dissect

Choose the Right Synonym for analyze

analyze, dissect, break down mean to divide a complex whole into its parts or elements.

analyze suggests separating or distinguishing the component parts of something (such as a substance, a process, a situation) so as to discover its true nature or inner relationships.

analyzed the collected data

dissect suggests a searching analysis by laying bare parts or pieces for individual scrutiny.

commentators dissected every word of the speech

break down implies a reducing to simpler parts or divisions.

break down the budget

Examples of analyze in a Sentence

While Wroe offers some basic biographical information and quotes copiously from Shelley's writings, she does not tell a chronological story or analyze individual poems. —Adam Kirsch, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2007

They are not doing the math. Doing the math would mean demonstrating that the voters' intuitive judgments are roughly what they would get if they analyzed the likely effects of candidates' policies, and this is a difficult calculation to perform. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2004

Ms. Magazine's online daily weblog, written by Christine Cupaiuolo, analyzes the representation of women in media and popular culture. Here are excerpts from recent postings. —Ms., Fall 2003

The data was recorded and analyzed by computer.

We took the sample to be chemically analyzed by a lab.

Researchers are busy analyzing the results of the study.

The bacteria were analyzed under a powerful microscope.

Recent Examples on the Web

But that has been analyzed and dismissed by almost every economist and trade group in the country to look at it. —Peter Green, Quartz, 9 Nov. 2024

Anderson says that cloud cover for this eclipse is among the lowest he’s analyzed over the last 45 years. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Among those reporting live on the election and analyzing results in real-time is John King, who will be leading election coverage on CNN. —Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024

The data collected from these questionnaires can help analyze the results as the votes are being tallied. —Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably by back-formation from analysis, with -is taken as a suffix, and -ys- identified with the verb-forming suffix -ize, spelled -yze/-ize/-yse/-ise in the 17th century

Note: Alternatively, the verb could arise by haplology from*analysise. Note that analysis comes into vernacular use only a couple decades before the verb. Compare analyst.

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

analyze

verb

an·​a·​lyze ˈan-ᵊl-ˌīz 

analyzed; analyzing

: to study or find out the nature and relationship of the parts of by analysis

analyzable

-ˌī-zə-bəl 

adjective

analyzer noun

Medical Definition

analyze

transitive verb

an·​a·​lyze

variants or British analyse

ˈan-ᵊl-ˌīz 

analyzed or British analysed; analyzing or British analysing

1

: to study or determine the nature and relationship of the parts of by analysis

especially : to examine by chemical analysis

2

: psychoanalyze